Hanging draperies is typically a slow and difficult process. The standard practice is to hang the draperies from a track using a plurality of "S" shaped pin hooks. The pin hooks are embedded into the drapery panels and are connected respectively to a plurality of carrier members movably mounted in the track. Handling of the pin hooks, which have sharp points, can be physically dangerous and can cause damage to the draperies. It is also difficult to insert the pin hooks into the drapery panels uniformly such that the draperies hang evenly. The pin hooks must be removed when the draperies are removed for cleaning, and then reinserted when the draperies are to again be hung. This is a time consuming process. Damage can also be caused to the draperies, and possibly the track and wall to which they are mounted, by pulling on the draperies (by virtue of the pin hook connection system). Pin hooks can also rust, causing stains to draperies.
A system that has been developed in view of the above problems with the standard drapery hanging system employs snaps on the drapes and on the carriers. While this has resulted in some improvements, it has not seen widespread application. In this regard, the snaps must be affixed to the draperies with exact precision to assure that the draperies hang evenly. This is a difficult and time consuming process which normally requires locating the snap positions on a tape, making the corresponding holes in the tape, riveting the snaps to the tape, and sewing the tape to the draperies. Further, the metal snaps may complicate the cleaning process and do not resolve the problem of the potential damage which may result from pulling on the draperies.
The present invention employs two piece fastening tapes, commercially available under the trade designation of "Velcro." Such tapes, which are readily reuseable, normally include a strip having hooks formed thereon and a strip having loops formed thereon, which loops and hooks may be joined by the application of slight pressure to unite the strips, and which may be separated by a prying movement of the strips to release one from the other. Such fastening tapes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,717,437; 3,009,235; and 3,114,951.
There are a number of patents that disclose various applications using Velcro fastening tape. These include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,316,669; 3,391,434; 3,475,810; 4,165,555; and 4,193,152. However, none of these relate to the present invention.